Tragedy 05: Balance
by Jade-Max
Summary: After several brief and Force charged encounters, Anakin and Barriss have been separated to pursue their own paths. But old evils linger at the heart of the Republic, corrupting it and they're thrown back together to destroy or succumb to it.
1. Opening Scroll

The last thing I need is to start a new long fic, but this one has been long time in coming; enjoy!

No posting schedule as of yet; I'll be updating as I finish the chapters so it will depend on when that is...

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>It's George's sandbox, I'm simply destroying the sandcastles

**Title:** Tragedy - Balance  
><strong>Author:<strong> Jade-Max  
><strong>Characters:<strong> Barriss Offee, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Romance, Adventure, Action  
><strong>Era:<strong> Post AotC AU; post **Fixation, Tragedy on the Landing Pad, Attachment is Forbidden** and **Every time We Touch**; RotS AU  
><strong>Summary:<strong> After several brief and Force charged encounters, Anakin and Barriss have been separated to pursue their own paths. But old evils linger at the heart of the Republic, corrupting it, twisting it, and they're thrown back together to destroy or succumb to it...  
><strong>Notes:<strong>It should not be necessary to read any of the previous installments to understand this fic, however, it is recommended that you do so to understand the character development

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><p><strong>Balance<strong>

Opening Scroll

_With Padmé Naberrie dead these past five years, the events holding the galaxy in its grasp have proceeded forward with alarming speed._

_The Trade Federation, having been implicated in the death of the popular senator but never convicted, has solidified their place as a force to be reckoned with. Side deals and corruption have eroded that power base as more and more they are implicated in nefarious dealings - but nothing is ever proven._

_Upon the death of her sister Padmé, Sola Naberrie stepped forward to take her place, and voice, in politics. Naboo, once again sounding with the soul of a Naberrie, has earned itself a strong sympathy vote - more so than before. Backed by many, Sola Naberrie is being heralded as the likely most likely Senator to replace the Chancellor once the state of emergency - the Clone War - has passed._

_Several Senators, the Banking Clan and other Corporations like them have pressed for more legislation to allow Chancellor Palpatine to make decisions unilaterally in the case of great crisis; a motion supported by some but opposed by many._

_Padmé's death led to the vote being defeated the first time it was tabled, but with much time having passed and the war threatening to sunder even more worlds to the Separatist cause, the motion has been brought back for consideration... and Sola Naberrie is determined to thwart it._

_On the eve of the vote, Chancellor Palpatine is captured along with the vocal Sola Naberrie, and several Prominent Senators killed, when Separatist forces infiltrate the Senate in an effort to stall the vote and force the Republic into submission._

_Anakin Skywalker, now Knighted, and his old Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, on Coruscant for some much needed time away from the front lines, are dispatched immediately to the Senate building to assist Jedi Master Barriss Offee who, being an observer of the Senate meeting at the time of the abduction, has called for assistance._

_Unknown to either of the Jedi who answer her call, Barriss Offee is in possession of a secret that could save the galaxy or sunder it..._


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_"I require immediate assistance,"_ the image of Barriss was fuzzy, distorted as Obi-Wan glanced at the transmission again; she was in a full run, speaking almost absently to the device on her wrist with her robes swirling about her. _"They've taken the Chancellor and are headed for the emergency bunker. I will not be able to cut them off; I am in the wrong position. They need to be outflanked."_

"Not to worry, Master Offee," Obi-Wan assured her as he exchanged looks with Anakin. "Anakin and I are on the way."

_"Anakin?"_

Anakin grinned at the surprise in her voice. "Here, Barriss," he assured her, ignoring the protocol the situation called for as Obi-Wan turned the holo emitter to include him. "We'll cut him off if you want to tighten the noose."

_"It's Grievous, Anakin,"_ she told him with the faintest of smiles before looking once again at the Obi-Wan. _"He won't be so easily caught."_

"And we won't be so easily outsmarted," Anakin shot back. "Get ready to jump, Obi-Wan."

"Pincer?"

Anakin only grinned.

Obi-Wan groaned. "That's what I was afraid of. We'll be in touch once we're on the ground, Barriss."

_"Hurry, Obi-Wan."_

He shut off the comlink as Anakin expertly maneuvered the speeder through the Coruscant traffic, coaxing speed from the engines the speeder hadn't been designed for. They were nearing the senate building and Anakin banked sharply, twisting the speeder around like a top to neatly slide between two close together transports. Obi-Wan cursed and Anakin laughed despite the circumstances.

"Still don't like flying, Master?"

"Flying is for droids," shot back Obi-Wan. "Don't take too long to find a parking space when you land, Anakin."

"I'll keep that in mind and let the Council worry about the ticket," he shot back cheekily. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be; I have a bad feeling about this."

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't; _jump_!"

Anakin tilted the speeder, dropping Obi-Wan near the base of the building and right next to an exhaust shaft. Speeding away, he angled for the other side and further up. If Grievous was after the Chancellor and intended to draw him into the emergency rooms below the Senate, he'd need to pass these corridors. Mentally reviewing the layout of the emergency shafts leading this way, Anakin gunned the speeder into a tight loop and sent it skimming across the duracrete casings that made up the exterior. Half way around the support pillar, he flipped the landing protocols and, using the momentum as the speeder was suddenly dragged to an abrupt halt, let it propel him upwards.

Using the Force, Anakin added speed and distance to the jump, catching hold of the underside of one of the support struts and dangling, his metallic hand gripping it tightly. A quick glance downwards showed he was free hanging beneath the Senate building, his speeder right where he'd left it. A grin spread across his face. "Huh; I didn't think that would work."

Giving himself a shake, he pulled his lightsaber free and slid it into the controls of a nearby maintenance droid access hatch. The hatchway sputtered and clanged, indicating a sealed lock down, and Anakin grimaced. His lightsaber reversed, sliding in a quick square and then large 'X' in the middle before he hooked his lightsaber back to his belt. Ensuring his grip was strong, he closed his eyes and called on the Force again.

The durasteel crumpled under the assault with a shriek and a whine, folding in on itself as Anakin pushed it back and into the shaft behind it. It scraped and screamed, echoing down the other shafts before the resistance to his mental commands suddenly disappeared and the sheet was left to free fall.

A familiar Force presence brushed his. _Barriss_. His smile returned as he reached for it, a hello in of itself that was nothing like the one he'd just shared with her in the speeder. Barriss' Force signature touched his, brushing with the force of a physical caress he felt to the soles of his feet. He sent back the same, hoping she wouldn't stumble when he added a _suggestion_ before he swung himself into the access port.

Her presence flared in the Force before an admonishment came his way and Anakin couldn't suppress a laugh. For all she was a typical Jedi in most things, the bond they shared through the Force was a place no one but they could touch. Within it, she was everything she already was but couldn't be as a Jedi.

Within it, she was his Barriss; passionate, demanding and utterly engrossing.

The feel of her Force presence ebbed and faded as she focused on her surroundings and Anakin knew she was applying herself to the chase. Just that reminder was enough to wipe the smile off his lips.

Grievous had the Chancellor, his friend and mentor, with the intent of either killing him or ransoming him back to the Republic for power. Neither were acceptable options and Anakin, for one, wasn't about to allow the state of events to continue. He crawled through the narrow shaft, squeezing himself along as he mentally hoped the shaft didn't unexpectedly narrow.

Luck was with him as he turned the corner and came into the main ventilation shaft. The tunnels spidered out from this point, but the main shaft practically ran the length of the support pillar to the senate building and was wide enough Anakin could brace himself against one wall with his back and walk up it if he chose.

He didn't choose to; it would take too long.

Instead, he uncoiled into the main shaft and called on the Force once more. Springing upwards, he searched for the shaft that would take him to the perfect counter point to both Obi-Wan and Barriss, letting the Force guide his actions, and stopped after three leaps before throwing himself headlong into another side shaft. He crawled as quickly as he could, sensing that time was running out.

_"Anakin."_

He flipped on his comlink even as he continued to crawl. "Master?"

_"I've located Grievous two decks below me. Where are you?"_

"Not far now," Anakin assured him. "Junction Alpha, subsection one five seven two point four."

_"Not far? You've practically on the other end of the building!"_

"If he's headed for the bunker, he has to pass this way. I'm almost in position."

_"It won't be enough,"_ Barriss cut into their transmission. _"Grievous has detoured; he's headed for the emergency evacuation ports; safety protocols prevent us from locking the shuttles down. It's his only way out."_

Anakin cursed.

_"Can you catch him, Barriss?"_

_"I can_ try_, Obi-Wan,"_ she shot back with a faint glimmer of amusement. _"Get yourselves over here as swiftly as you can; I try and keep him from boarding that ship but I can't guarantee anything."_

Anakin glanced around the access ports once again and hauled himself back into the main line. With Grievous' new location, he was badly out of position and wouldn't be able to join in the chase. Mentally reviewing the layout of the passageways he was in, Anakin considered his options. He had to get to the other conduits, up and around forty decks.

Unless...

With a grin no one could see, he ducked back into a side port and crawled for all he was worth, passing several access hatches before finding the one he wanted. Pressing his ear against it, he _listened_, hearing the sound of water rushing through the pipes. Counting in his head, he waited.

The sound stopped and he acted, calling on the force to lend strength to his muscles as he grasped the metallic cover and manual hatch controls and turned. It screamed, the shrieking of metal on metal putting Anakin's teeth on edge as he turned it for all he was worth. It popped open with a wet sounding squish and, deliberately not thinking about what would be within it, he slid into the pipe and closed it behind him.

Using the slick surfaces inside, for he couldn't see where he was going, he pushed off, sliding through the piping at an ever increasing clip even as he kept his arms braced before him to prevent sudden impacts and called on the Force.

_Barriss._

He could sense her disapproval of his location even as he felt her amusement and admiration; no other Jedi would have considered his course. Focusing on her Force signature, he used it like a thread, pulling himself along it, guiding himself to the source.

Urgency suddenly struck him as fear mitigated by determination slashed through the connection like the blade of his lightsaber.

Barriss had met and engaged Grievous.

It spurred him onwards, propelling him to a reckless slide at dangerous speeds and he overshot his exit. Whipping around, he took the next off shoot, used the Force to slow himself, and grabbed the exhaust hatch. Throwing it open with a violent twist, he dropped from the pipe and into the main area, several corridors away from where he'd wanted to be. He closed the hatch just as the rush of fluids within began to echo down the pipe.

Slicking the yellow-green coating from his lightsaber, Anakin pulled it from his belt and, blade in hand, sprinted through the corridors.

"Obi-Wan."

_"I'm almost there; do you see them?"_

"Not yet, I - _ugh_!"

He almost doubled over as a pain ripped through his side just under his left arm near his heart. It wasn't his injury, but _hers _and she'd been struck. Badly.

_"Anakin? Anakin! Are you all right?"_

Forcing himself to push through the pain, Anakin answered his comlink as Obi-Wan's concerned demand ripped through the link. "I'm here. Barriss is in danger Master; she's hurt."

_"Then we haven't much time."_ Obi-Wan paused and then continued. _"If they're headed for the emergency evacuation ports, I'll head there to try and cut them off. Find Barriss and back her up."_

"I'm on it," sprinting around another corner, Anakin headed for the area where he could feel Barriss.

There was a sudden _tug_ on his essence and he felt her drawing on the Force to mitigate her injury; to give her time to act. That connection opened her up to him for she latched onto his own abilities, using his connection to the Force to boost her own; to channel the Force as she once had on Tatooine years ago.

There was a surge and then, just as suddenly, it was severed.

Anakin screamed within his mind, reaching for her - _Barriss; NO!_- but here was no response as his pace increased, his feet barely touching the ground as he careened dangerously fast around a corner heading for where he'd last felt her.

For where he could _still_ feel her.

The thought penetrated as he crisscrossed another corridor and neared her location, slowing him, filtering in and sticking; Barriss was still alive. She was alive but, likely, unconscious and _something_ was preventing a firmer contact.

_Barriss! _He sent the thought her way, hoping to feel her response or to wake her; anything... and received nothing but silence. Both in physical presence and the Force.

Anakin burst into the last hallway, lightsaber at the ready and brought it down on an infiltrator droid who had been lying in wait. It was cleaved in two before it realized he was there. Is counterpart whirled, firing one shot, and Anakin destroyed it too, slamming his lightsaber straight into its chest and core processor before whipping it up and out. The droid fell to pieces, hitting the ground as Anakin advanced purposefully.

"Barriss?"

There was no answer to his call as he stepped further into the corridor and her Force touch, while still present in the back of his mind, was no help.

A sound behind him had him whirling about to face another pair of droids, these Grievous' bodyguards. Force staves twirled in opposite rotations, designed to throw him off but Anakin had fought too many of them to be fooled. Striking straight out, he severed the first staff, sending it spinning away and up before slicing clean through the core of the droid.

Leaping up and flipping over the metal heap to avoid the strike at his back, Anakin parried the next staff blow with a grim look. He didn't have time for this; Barriss needed him. Stretching to the Force, he called it to his fingertips and _pushed _at the same time he surged forward on the attack.

The droid didn't have a chance as its staff went wide and the lightsaber arced in from the opposite side. Its hands hit the deck followed closely by its head and half its torso. Anakin kicked the lower half of the droid away and picked up his feet to run.

Even as he did, he felt Obi-Wan's frustration and keyed his comlink. "Master?"

_"They beat me here, Anakin,"_ Obi-Wan reported. _"Get down here quickly."_

Intuition kicked in and Anakin frowned at his comlink. It sounded as if Obi-Wan was deliberately avoiding a comment. "You're not telling me something. What is it? Is it Barriss?"

A sigh crossed his comlink, making his heart lurch in his chest, the lurch turning into a painful squeeze at Obi-Wan's next words.

_"It's Barriss,"_ Obi-Wan agreed, subdued. _"Get down here, Anakin."_

"I'm on my way; is she hurt?" Anakin clenched his hand more tightly about his still lit blade as his feet took off without him, guiding him unerringly towards the Force signature that was his old Master and best friend. "Obi-Wan?"

_"She's unconscious,"_ Obi-Wan informed him, a light on Anakin's comlink blinking as Obi-Wan engaged a private link. _"But I don't know how badly she's hurt, my friend."_

"She's still alive Obi-Wan; I can feel her."

_"Oh, I have no doubt of that,"_was the instant, dry assurance.

Anakin turned down another corridor and slapped the controls of the turbolift. With Grievous' escape, they'd be working again and would minimize the damage needed to be done for him to get around. It opened almost immediately and he stepped inside, pressing the floor he'd need with more force than was necessary.

Obi-Wan continued. _"I simply don't know how badly she's injured because she's not with me. I didn't get the chance to look."_

"Not with you?" Anakin frowned, staring a the floors as the lift descended. "Then where is she?"

Obi-Wan didn't answer and Anakin felt his trepidation climb. He still couldn't feel her properly through the Force and after years of having that anchor, suddenly being thrown adrift was unsettling. He reached for her again as the lift began to slow, once again feeling as if something or someone were blocking him.

His thoughts continued on the most logical course as fear skated down his spine. Dooku held Grievous' leash; Dooku _knew _of the attachment Anakin had to Barriss. Was the Sith Lord powerful enough to sense their connection and block it?

The doors to the lift opened into the emergency bay and Anakin strode out, meeting Obi-Wan half way, his gaze immediately going to the missing shuttle pod before sliding back to his mentor. Anakin barely took note of the droid bodies and parts littering the bay behind him, too focused on the fact that Obi-Wan hadn't been able to stop Grievous. He wasted no time in asking the most pressing and relevant question on his mind. "Where's Barriss, Obi-Wan?"

"I'm afraid I have bad news, my friend."

"I gathered that much."

"The last I saw of her she was unconscious and being thrown over General Grievous' shoulder."

"What?"

"They took her aboard one of the emergency evacuation shuttles." Obi-Wan's expression was grim. "I'm afraid Barriss is but another captive of the good General making his number of hostages the same as his guards; three."

"He took _Barriss_." Anakin stared at Obi-Wan and then, to Obi-Wan's surprise, a laugh bubbled out of him. "Right. What _really_ happened to her, Obi-Wan?"

"That _is_ what happened, Anakin," he was informed crossly. "I don't think you realize how serious this is."

"Grievous has no reason to _take_ Jedi, only kill them." the thought sent another shiver down his spine. "Are you _sure _you weren't seeing things?"

"Positive." Obi-Wan headed for the docking controls where the shuttle that Grievous had stolen was berthed.

As a precaution, all shuttles had pre-programmed destinations that couldn't be overridden once in the air and they needed to figure out where this one was headed. Anakin caught on quickly and followed, stepping in when Obi-Wan would have tried to hack in. "Allow me."

"You're no better."

"I've more experience with programming than you do," he retorted, calling up the program. "Here it is; vector five one seven mark three six."

Obi-Wan flipped open his comlink and selected a frequency. "Master Yoda."

_"Read you I do, Obi-Wan."_

"We were unable to capture Grievous; he escaped by using one of the emergency shuttles."

_"Unfortunate this is. Go after him you must. Allowed to remain his prisoners long, the Chancellor and Senator cannot."_

"We've the heading on the shuttle, Master Yoda," Anakin interjected. "Tracking it shouldn't be an issue but..."

"There's another complication," Obi-Wan broke in. "Master Offee is with them."

_"In pursuit, is she?"_

"Captured," the older of the two Jedi corrected the venerable Master. "I don't like the feel of this, Master; what would Grievous possibly want with Master Offee? He's never taken Jedi prisoners in the past."

_"Not true, Obi-Wan,"_ was the immediate correction. _"Often Jedi are taken prisoner to be questioned. Tortured. Killed, eventually, they all are. None have survived the General's methods."_

"Then time is of the essence."

_"Return to the temple,"_ Yoda ordered, his tone grim. _"Discuss we will, the course of action to take. Recovered they must be."_

Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged looks as the comlink transmission cut out and, as one, turned towards the lift Anakin had used.

"That's a new look for you."

Anakin glanced down at his sopping tunic, the slightly off color reminding him he needed a shower - _with_ his clothes on. "I'm going for a new trend; battered Jedi."

Obi-Wan arched an eyebrow. "If you wanted to be beaten, all you had to do was ask."

"I'd rather let Barriss do it," Anakin returned with a smirk. "At least she'd kiss it better."

"What the two of you do on your own time," Obi-Wan shook his head with a smile that slowly died as the lift opened for them and they stepped inside. "I'm sure she's fine, Anakin."

"She is," he assured Obi-Wan with a half smile. "I wouldn't be joking otherwise."

"I sense a 'but' in there."

"I can't reach her. Something or _someone _is blocking our connection."

"I can't say I'm a big fan of the Force connection you two have," Obi-Wan admitted, "but at the moment it's most comforting."

"Yeah," Anakin agreed, taking the time to slick the goop from his hair. Someone would, later, likely be eating food that was made in the grease he'd slid through. Despite the fact, he found it amusing. He'd enjoy having Barriss tease him about being tasted by so many people - later. "Yeah; it is. I just wish I knew what was interrupting it."

"Dooku, perhaps?"

"It's possible; he's still out there."

"Well, let's see what Master Yoda and the council suggest for now; even with those coordinates, there's a lot of space to cover."

Silently, Anakin agreed. Barriss for the moment was on her own. Reaching silently for the glimmer within him that was their connection, he held onto it like a talisman. She was fine; alive and unharmed for now. He would, he promised that spark, find her before things changed.

For all she could take care of herself, anything else was unacceptable.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"And where were you, Skywalker?"

"Playing in his food," Obi-Wan answered for him, his tone dry. "Had Grievous continued towards the emergency bunker, Anakin would have been in the perfect position to cut him off. As it was, the Separatist infiltrators made the detour after Anakin had entered the main conduits."

"It is regrettable," Kit Fisto agreed, his holographic image serious. "Had your plan worked as intended, we might have been able to end this war."

"Indeed. As it was, I caught up with Grievous at the emergency shuttles in time to see Master Offee fall. I attempted to engage Grievous in combat, however, instead of coming for me himself, he dispatched some of his personal guard. I was unable to deal with them in as timely fashion as needed." Obi-Wan's admission was even, betraying none of the animosity his long history of encounters with General Grievous had fostered. "As a result, the good General was able to collect Master Offee, along with the Chancellor and Senator Naberrie, and escape in one of the emergency shuttles."

"Her capture is most disturbing," Mace Windu leaned forward on his elbows, his fingertips touching together as he regarded Anakin and Obi-Wan who were standing patiently in the center of the main council chamber. "In the last two months, Grievous has killed three Jedi but taken none captive."

"Do we know why he's taken Master Offee?" Shaak Ti's calm tones were inquisitive. "He outright killed Masters Kolar and Tiin and they were members of the Council."

"So certain, are you Obi-Wan, that Master Offee is alive?"

"Yes, Masters," Anakin stated firmly before Obi-Wan could respond.

He could still feel the muted glimmer of her presence in the back of his mind, the thread that bound them dimmed but not detached. Wherever she was, whatever was blocking her and preventing him from making contact, couldn't cancel out the link they shared entirely. It was almost as if… as if she'd entered a hibernation trance, not unlike, he realized, what she'd done on Tatooine. Has Barriss cut the connection herself or was she truly being blocked by something? The train of thought wasn't one he could pursue at the moment but he shelved it for later.

"She's alive."

"Hmm," Yoda regarded Anakin shrewdly before looking back to Obi-Wan. "Afford, we cannot, the loss of more Jedi. Rescue her, we must."

Obi-Wan and Anakin exchanged looks.

"We'll handle it, Master Yoda," the older Jedi assured him. "Anakin's retrieved the rendezvous coordinates preprogrammed into the shuttle they stole."

"How will that help?"

"Due to the nature of the shuttle's navigations," Anakin jumped in, knowing the technical aspects far better than his old Master, "they can't be changed. They're hard wired; should something happen to the senate building and the politicians take the shuttles, they'll go to one location and one location only. This allows for immediate retrieval."

"And if they've already been picked up?"

A smirk crossed Anakin's lips. "Impossible. Short of ripping out the main computer and rewiring it from scratch, it will do as it's programmed."

"How do you know this, Skywalker?"

"I asked the main mechanic." He shrugged and continued. "Anyway, without the computer, there's no way of the engines firing to kill the momentum of the ship. By removing the computer, they'd be putting themselves directly into the system's sun."

"You're sure of this."

"Based on the coordinates the shuttle is set for, yes."

"What's the stop someone from scooping the shuttle out of its run?"

"The shuttle is programmed for evasive maneuvers and a backup hyperspace course in the event of an attack either by tractor beam or weapon," Anakin produced a holo map of the surrounding galaxy, outlining the path of the shuttle and possible hyperspace routes from its current course. "There's no way to tell exactly where the shuttle will end up as its programmed to pick a location as random, but it will select the safest and shortest route away from the danger based on the current holo maps that get uploaded the moment the ship is activated." Anakin pointed out the most likely locations should the ship jump. "Within system isn't exactly an option, but they're most likely to end up near Kuat."

"Why Kuat?"

"Because with the new spaceport and construction yards. They've been major holo news in the last few weeks and we now have a fleet there capable of protecting the shuttle's passengers."

"I doubt," Shaak Ti informed him mildly, "that a computer would take that into account."

"The algorithm is pretty advanced, Master." Anakin told her with a grin. "It's either there or Arkania since they're both along known hyperspace routes and easy to get to; but there's no fleet in orbit around Arkania. I'd place my credits on Kuat."

Obi-Wan frowned at the gambling reference but none of the other Master's seemed disturbed; it was a figure of speech – as far as they knew. Or were willing to acknowledge.

"Providing, of course, they're uninterrupted in transit," Mace quantified. "What if they're able to dock with the shuttle?"

"If the identifier is wrong, we'll get a distress signal; providing they don't blow it up." Which was possible they all knew, but only if Grievous was able to get off first. With or without his hostages was anyone's guess. Anakin forged ahead. "It'll take the shuttle almost two hours to reach its destination; we can be there in half that with our starfighters."

"Go then," Yoda stated, for it was an order and not a request. "Discover what you will and send word you must, before engaging."

"Yes, Master Yoda," Obi-Wan agreed. "We'll need a distraction anyway if we need to board one of their ships."

"Providing they bring a large one." Mace pinned Anakin with a look. "Let me reiterate, Skywalker. This is a _recon_ mission for now; not a rescue."

"Yes, Master," Anakin agreed far more easily than any of them would have thought possible and Obi-Wan slanted his former apprentice a suspicious look. As if not seeing it, Anakin continued. "I wouldn't dream of putting Barriss or Senator Naberrie in jeopardy, let alone the Chancellor. Two of the three I know quite well."

Two of the three, Obi-Wan knew, were some of his closest friends.

"Good." Mace seemed to accept Anakin's statement as a kind of vow. "Once we know the situation, we can better plan for it. We need to discover why he took Barriss when he already had the Chancellor and Senator Naberrie. We need to know if she was deliberately targeted or if he was simply after a Jedi."

Anakin privately had some thoughts about that, but wasn't about to voice them at the moment. He missed the next segment of the discussion as he mentally reviewed what the three captives had in common, coming to a gut twisting realization as Obi-Wan's voice penetrated his thoughts.

"-find what we can and report back. If the shuttle takes as long as Anakin thinks it will to reach the rendezvous point, we'll have plenty of time to prepare."

"Exercise caution, Obi-Wan," Shaak Ti advised. "There may be more to this than we realize."

"Of course Masters. May the Force be with you."

"And you."

Bowing to the Council, the duo made their escape, the doors to the Council chamber sliding shut behind them. They walked the wide corridors towards the lifts in silence, Anakin not really noticing the views that normally held his gaze. They were inside the lift and headed to the ground level before Obi-Wan spoke again.

"You look shaken."

"I think you would be too if you'd come to the same conclusion I have."

"And what, pray tell, is that my friend?"

"The connection," Anakin stated as if it explained everything. Obi-Wan looked perplexed so he was forced to elaborate. "Grievous has three hostages; all people who are relatively different and come from varied backgrounds. Discounting the followings facts," he held up one hand and illustrated them with his fingers, "one - that two of three are from Naboo; two - that two of three are human; three - that two of three are Senators and four that two of three live on Coruscant for most of the year, what other connection does that leave?"

"That they were all in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

"I'm serious, Obi-Wan; think about it. What else is the link to this?"

"You've obviously drawn your own conclusions," Obi-Wan returned dryly. "Perhaps it would be best if you simply explain?"

Anakin exhaled forcefully. "Me."

"Pardon?"

"Me; I'm the connection."

"A little conceited, don't you think?"

"If it were untrue I'd agree with you."

"I don't follow you, Anakin."

He shot Obi-Wan a dark look, running one hand through his hair and turned to put his back to his mentor. Looking out without really seeing the view beyond, he elaborated what had come to him in the council chamber. A revelation he didn't like and one that would no doubt shape their coming mission. "Sola is related to Padmé; she's her sister. I helped Padmé free Naboo when I was nine and, when Padmé died, Sola stepped in to take over the political seat Padmé had left vacant."

"A connection, true, but a vague one."

Anakin shook his head. "The Chancellor is also from Naboo; he was on good terms, the best of terms I understand, with Padmé and thought of her as a daughter. I met the Chancellor because of what happened with the blockade and he's taken an interest in me ever since."

"Go on; I'm quite curious how you factor Barriss into all of this since you two didn't meet until Ansion."

"Not true; we'd just never worked together until Ansion."

"Semantics, Anakin." Obi-Wan admonished, rolling his wrist to encourage him to continue.

"Barriss was the one who helped me get through Padmé's death; she was with me on Naboo and has been tied to me ever since what occurred on Tatooine with my mother. Each one of them is important to me; each one would be enough to bring me in if this is a trap."

"Oh, it's undoubtedly a trap," Obi-Wan agreed. "I simply don't know if it's for us."

"What do you mean?"

"I think you place too much importance on your involvement in this."

"I _am_ the Chosen One."

"Funny." Obi-Wan stroked his beard, considering the details Anakin had considered and discarding them. "The Chancellor and the Senator are both vocal advocates against a continuation of the war. Master Offee has made no secret of the fact she's in complete agreement and has, in recent past, been assigned as a bodyguard to Senator Naberrie. They have, I understand, become friends."

"So you think this kidnapping is to ensure Senator Naberrie's good behavior."

"Or Barriss'. Both could simply be pawns for a reason we don't yet know or understand."

"And the Chancellor?"

"For all we know, Anakin, they've both been taken to guarantee _his_ good behavior and each other's. There are simply too many factors to settle on a single hypothesis right now."

"I still think I'm right," Anakin told his mentor frankly.

"You always do, my friend."

"It _feels _right, Obi-Wan; I can't explain it."

"Then we'll have to go with your feeling but expect something else," Obi-Wan stated firmly, "there could be any number of reasons these three hostages have been taken, Anakin. We can't just assume one."

Anakin exhaled. Hard. "I know."

His admission was rough, despite the feeling that was eating at him. He was right; he _knew_ he was right, he just didn't know how to explain it to Obi-Wan. However, Barriss' influence over the years, the changes she'd instigated in his psyche, forced him to reevaluate what he knew to be true. Yes, he might be _the_ reason the three had been taken, but it wasn't likely the _only _reason and he could admit it. What the others might be, he hadn't a clue, but Obi-Wan made some good points.

"At least you can admit it," the older Jedi's reply was dry. "Does that change the way we're going to approach this?"

"Why do you bother asking me when you never do things my way anyway?"

"I do like you to feel like you're contributing."

Rolling his eyes, Anakin tapped his foot impatiently. "I'd feel like I was contributing if we did things my way once in a while."

"Oh yes; like you trip through the kitchen pipes?"

"I had to improvise; it _could _have been a lot worse."

"Oh, there's no question about _that_," Obi-Wan agreed. "You could have accidentally ended up in the tube they use for carrying the nutrient dips to the spas."

"It could have been the next innovation in skin care. A bit of The Chosen One for the chosen few."

"You're incorrigible," but Obi-Wan was fighting a grin.

"A little Anakin Skywalker goes a long way," Anakin crossed his arms over his chest, tilted his head and then tossed it, like one of the recent holo stars who qualified as a 'heart throb' and his long curls bobbed and wove together before falling back into place.

This time Obi-Wan _did _laugh as the life began to slow. "You do that very well, my friend. Perhaps if you ever get expelled for your outrageous behavior, you can try your hand on the holos."

"And, being my best friend who will be beside me all the way, I'll make sure they give you a part too," Anakin returned dryly, stepping out as the lift stopped and the doors opened. "Come on. If we hurry, we can scout the area before the shuttle arrives to devise a way to sneak on board whatever ship they're going to send to collect it."

"Before we go gallivanting away to the rescue, just _how _are you planning on getting all of us off whatever ship they're sending?"

"By stealing a shuttle; how else?"

"You make that sounds as if it were obvious."

"I thought it was."

"That you think at all amazes me." Obi-Wan shook his head. "Very well; may I assume we'll be leaving our star fighters behind?"

"We'll need Arfour on board the ship to break through the security we can't. As soon as we have the Chancellor, the Senator and Barriss free, the astromechs can jump back in the fighters and fly them home."

"And if we need them for the shuttle?"

"As long as you can program a nav computer with Coruscant's coordinates, Master, we should be home free."

"Then why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"Because it wouldn't," Anakin grinned as they entered the hangar bay and headed for their fighters, "be a mission together without it."

* * *

><p>"If you hadn't proven to be do inept five years ago, this would not be necessary and you could kill the girl as you desire."<p>

Barriss woke to a voice that was vaguely familiar through the pounding in her skull, her body aching in a way she'd long forgotten it was capable of. She suppressed a groan as new bruises made themselves known, realizing she was privy to a conversation she shouldn't be hearing. The voice that spoke next was one that had haunted her nightmares since the day of her Master's death. A shiver she couldn't help slid through her form and her muscles tensed involuntarily.

"It is dangerous to hold her," Count Dooku was saying.

The sound of metallic fingers tapping against the deck preceded Grievous' addition; he was speaking to a three way holo she realized. "Skywalker will come for her."

"Yes," the first voice affirmed, its sinister tones seeping satisfaction in every syllable. "I am counting on it. She is more important than either of you realize."

"They will come for her and they will fail, my Master," promised the Count. "I will dispatch Kenobi and capture Skywalker when they arrive."

"Do not fail me, Lord Tyranus."

Even though the words weren't directed her way, Barriss felt the pulse of the threat; Tyranus wouldn't survive this failure if he didn't do _exactly_ as instructed.

"Yes my Lord; I shall delivery Skywalker to you or die. But what of the... _woman_?"

The disdain in his tone set her teeth on edge.

"Leave her," the voice advised. "General Grievous will keep her in hand. When Skywalker sees she is in danger, he will come to us. Once he has been captured, use her continued well being to ensure his... cooperation."

"As you wish, my Master."

There was no mistaking the displeasure in the Count's response and Barriss felt a flare of satisfaction she was quick to trample. She shouldn't feel good about being used as leverage against Anakin in a fashion that displeased the Count. It was contrary and counterproductive. She had her own problems to worry about and, discovering she was bound only by Force suppressing binders, showed they weren't as insurmountable as expected.

"Yes, my Lord," the metallic General coughed. "Shall I place the prisoners together in the spire?'

"In three locations around the ship." The sinister voice instructed. "Place the Senator in the brig; the Chancellor in the spire and the Jedi…" there was a pause.

"I will keep her with me, my Lord," Grievous offered, a malicious intent evident in each syllable. "Use her as the bait she's to be. It will force Kenobi and Skywalker to choose."

"And to face me one at a time," Dooku added, obviously liking the idea. "Young Skywalker will be no match without his master."

"I want him _alive_, my apprentice," the first voice hardened, sounding vaguely familiar to Barriss' muddled mind even as she couldn't place it. "Fail me in this and it will be yours in exchange."

"Yes, my Master."

"General Grievous."

"My lord?"

"Use the Jedi to lure Skywalker to the spire of the _Malevolence_," obviously Dooku was no longer a part of the conversation. "Once there, _ensure_ his… cooperation. I want him alive."

"Yes, my lord."

There was a moment of silence broken by coughing as Grievous terminated the transmission before another series of clicks on the floor announced the General moved. They were audible as he approached her prone form. She _felt _his attention shift her way and, unconsciously, reached for Anakin.

_Anakin._

A nudge jarred her concentration but didn't break it as she sought the connection that had been present for the last five year; a connection that had never failed to amaze and scare her all at the same time. The connection that tied Anakin closer to her than any other Jedi, than any other _being_ in her life.

The push came again, pressing her back and over, turning her towards the General and Barriss knew she had a few options. Anakin would come for her so first and foremost, she had to warn him; after that, she had to work on escaping. Anakin's safety, among others - and not just her own - depended on it.

_Anakin, if you can hear me, it's a trap; and I'm the bait! Do not, I repeat, do _not_ come for me! It's a trap!_

_**TBC**_


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**My apologies on how long it is between updates for this fic, but I keep having to go back and check my personal canon to ensure it doesn't conflict. Even then I'm sure there will be mistakes. Bear with me; my outline [what passes as one] is done and I know where the story needs to go to get there.

I hope to throw the odd twist and turn at you as well.

Now most of you know I finished a novel last year; the second part of the trilogy is behind and I absolutely -must- finish it sooner rather than later so don't expect rushed chapters for the sake of chapters. I'm gonna do this right.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

Checking his coordinates a third time as the Jedi starfighters passed through the empty space where the shuttle carrying the trio of captives would emerge anytime in the next few minutes, Anakin keyed his comlink. "Are you getting anything on your sensors, Obi-Wan?"

_"Negative,"_ was the immediate response. _"All clear. Are you certain you read the shuttle information correctly?"_

"Yes, Master," he rolled his eyes even though Obi-Wan couldn't see him, running back across his sensor readings. "It should be anytime now. How do you want to play this when they arrive?"

_"I thought you were the one with the plan."_

"When have you known me to plan _anything_, Master?"

_"Orchestrating your absence after you were knighted, perhaps?"_

Anakin winced. Trust Obi-Wan to bring that up _now_; especially when he was feeling an inexplicable sense of urgency - a sense of foreboding - about this whole endeavor. He hadn't, to his dismay, been able to reach Barriss through any means. "I had an idea as to the resistance I'd be facing," he told his old Master frankly. "It required ingenuity."

_"And apparently forethought," _Obi-Wan returned dryly. _"You never cease to amaze me, Anakin. You have a very keen mind and yet you persist in using it for stunts such as that. If you'd just-"_

"Contact!"

Breaking into what was turning into one of Obi-Wan's amused-scolding monologues, Anakin was grateful for the sensor contact that suddenly appeared on his board as the shuttle they'd been awaiting dropped out of hyperspace. His eyes flickered to the registry number on the shuttle and his lips tightened.

"That's it, Master," he told Obi-Wan over the closed short range channel they were using to avoid detection. "But what-"

_"A second ship's incoming."_

Barely had Obi-Wan spoken the words than the _Malevolence_, Grievous' flag ship, dropped out of hyperspace almost on top of the shuttle. The shuttle was immediately caught in a tractor beam and hauled towards the _Malevolence_ - which was broadcasting a friendly identifier.

_"So that's why they boarded the _Redeemer _before they destroyed it,"_ Obi-Wan commented tightly, for, sure enough, the _Malevolence_ had suddenly stopped broadcasting its own identifier and was now reading on their scopes as the ship they'd lost to this very monstrosity less than a week ago - the Republic battle cruiser, _Redeemer_.

"That should make things easier," Anakin protested, already pushing his fighter into a tight turn towards the _Malevolence_. "We'll be able to get close without them firing a shot."

_"Until they switch back once the shuttle's aboard. I thought you said the shuttle would be in possession of current military data."_

"It's supposed to be, maybe it hasn't been updated for this past week," Anakin couldn't keep the tension from his voice. "Whatever the reason, we need to dock with the _Malevolence_ now; before they take the shuttle on board and the passive sensors shut themselves off."

_"And just what do you propose?"_

"Follow me."

_"I should know better than to ask."_

"Still have that bad feeling, Master?" As Obi-Wan closed in on his wing, and Anakin couldn't resist throwing the older man a half smile. "Because this is where the fun begins."

_"Oh yes,"_ Obi-Wan's dry reply made him grin. _"Fun."_

Without responding, Anakin spurred his fighter into a great leap of speed, using the gravity signature of the nearby planets, stars and sun to his advantage. Weaving through the greatest areas of gravitational flux to keep them hidden as long as possible, he angled his fighter towards the _Malevolence_, bursting from the gravitational shadow with Obi-Wan hot on his tail to skim bare meters from the side of the _Malevolence_ after a high speed dash.

Letting out a whoop that Obi-Wan couldn't hear as he had flipped off his comm. before speeding towards the Separatist warship, Anakin flipped his fighter around and angled it in towards the belly of the leviathan. Skimming the surface, he spotted his target and braked his speed, checking to ensure Obi-Wan was still with him.

There, behind him, slower but no less accurate, Obi-Wan had grasped his plan.

Aligning the fighter with the maintenance access hatches, Anakin flipped off the power to his ship's engines and let it coast, matching the momentum of the larger ship, the hatch sealing about his cockpit. The droid within the bubble beeped a nervous sounding query.

"Easy, Sevens," he chided the refurbished R7 unit that flew with him. "You'll need to monitor the situation from here; Arfour will give us a hand inside. Once he's free, slave the fighters together just in case, okay?"

The droid toodled, what sounded to Anakin, a relieved affirmative. Reaching up, he used the Force to pull the hatchway down further to complete the seal and popped the canopy. Seeing that Obi-Wan was assisting his astromech, Anakin pushed out of his seat and reached for the maintenance ladder.

They boarded the _Malevolence_ without incident, Anakin reaching down to take the clunky astromech from Obi-an with a grin as the older Jedi Master pushed it through the hatchway. The droid toodled its thanks and Anakin grinned.

"Anytime, buddy. We need a layout of the ship and where the prisoners are going to be kept once they get them off the shuttle. Can you get into the systems without being discovered?"

Arfour bleeped something and trundled a few feet away to plug into the computer mainframe.

"What is it with you and droids?" Obi-Wan wondered peevishly as he climbed free of the service hatch, accepting Anakin's hand before straightening and fussing with his tunic. "Sometimes I think you like them better than sentient beings."

"They take orders well," Anakin returned tongue-in-cheek.

"Separatists talk from a Jedi?"

"For a kid who grew up taking order from everyone else, it's a nice thing not to be challenged." Obi-Wan looked almost comically appalled and Anakin grinned. "Don't worry Master, it's all talk."

"I should hope so; Anakin, I- what are you doing?"

Anakin had turned to join Arfour, pulling up a couple of maps Obi-Wan couldn't recognize before stopping to study the structural integrity of the ship instead of the corridors. "We have a chance to end the war here and now if we can eliminate both Dooku and Grievous."

"That won't be easy."

"No kidding; we didn't exactly come equipped for heavy demolition."

"Then what did you have in mind?"

"Nothing yet; Arfour, have they transferred the information on the captives yet?"

The droid toodled a negative and Anakin frowned, his brow drawing together as he examined the maps.

"What is it, Anakin?"

"Barriss is on that shuttle. I should have felt her by now; been able to sense her more than I do."

"They may be keeping her in a semi-conscious state," Obi-Wan hypothesized, "to control her more effectively."

"Grievous would rather kill Jedi than capture them; I'm not comfortable leaving her there longer than I have to."

"She's not dead yet," Obi-Wan considered the holo for a moment before pointing towards the back of the ship where the command deck spire was located. "I can sense Count Dooku; in this direction. I suspect the good General will bring his captives there. General Grievous knows I will pursue; we shall simply have to see "

"You're getting predictable in your old age, Obi-Wan," Anakin teased dryly. "If he can expect you to do something, shouldn't you do the opposite?"

"To be contrary in this situation would place Barriss, the Chancellor and Senator Naberrie at risk," Obi-Wan reminded him. "Perhaps a different approach is needed but the outcome will be the same."

"A masterful rescue without casualties?"

"On our side, in any rate."

"Exactly." Anakin turned back to the map. "I need a diagram of the passageways between the main hangar bay and the spire, Arfour; as detailed as you can get."

The droid whirred happily and hummed a little as he broke into the security network and called up an internal map of the ship's corridors. The requested cross section zoomed in as Arfour highlighted the corridors Anakin had asked to see in red.

"Now secondaries?"

Those lit in green.

"Tertiaries?"

"Really, Anakin? Don't you think that's overkill?"

"We don't know the ship like we should, Obi-Wan," Anakin chided as the requested information overlapped and he studied the holo. "Aren't you the one who's always saying I should have patience and prepare?"

"And you picked _now_ to listen to me?"

"What can I say; I've always had a sense of timing."

"The bad kind?"

"Funny." Anakin studied the hologram and pointed out a series of cross section hallways that intersected two of the key points. Anakin had chosen their point of entry well and they were several decks below the command center with the hangar bay where the prisoners were likely being dropped off on one side of them, the spire where they were likely to be taken on the other. In the back of his mind, he could _feel_ Barriss' presence growing stronger and stronger. Whatever had been blocking them, was no longer doing so. He examined the map again. "Here. This is where we can likely cause the most confusion. See how there are three passage offshoots?"

"There are only two of us, Anakin."

"If we can get to Barriss, we'll be three."

"When we get to Barriss, she's likely to be in one of those Force dampening fields that Dooku had me in on Geonosis."

Arfour toodled a question.

"So sure about that, Master?"

"They're not about to take chances with a Jedi, Anakin, even if they've disarmed her."

The diagram flickered and died as Arfour let loose a sad sounding wail.

Anakin grinned. "Oh good."

"What's-?"

As Obi-Wan began to speak, the alarms sounded, cutting him off and Anakin met his gaze with a grin, feeling a spike of emotion that came not from himself nor from his Master. It was followed by a sense of elation and purpose, determination arcing through the connection like wild fire to hum through his veins.

"Barriss is free."

* * *

><p>Barriss round house kicked one of the droid who'd been left to guard her while Grievous dealt with a very, surprisingly, uncooperative Chancellor.<p>

"The Jedi's escaping; blast her!"

Jumping gracefully as she pulled her legs up and tucked her arms underneath to bring them before her, she lashed out with her fists to connect with the next before throwing her arms wide to intercept a blaster bolt at the last second. The bolt slammed into the cuffs, knocking them from her wrists and leaving her free. Drawing her hands back down, she reached to the Force, and _pushed_, slamming the energy into the droids and sending them flying backwards to smash into the wall.

"Aft..af..."

The droids attempted to speak or move, their processors shutting down as the physical damage overrode their programming.

With a quick grin, she turned, called on the Force and darted away before reinforcements, or General Grievous, could be called in. Darting down one of the corridors, she skidded to a stop, looking left and right and then, still calling on the Force, jumped straight up into the open air vents.

Feeling Anakin's presence, Barriss opened herself to the connection, using it like a guide to lead her towards him. Backtracking, she found a vent that headed down, into the mechanical workings of the ship below the deck she'd been brought in on. Slowing her pace, she muted the Force connection with Anakin, sending a brief apology his way. If Anakin could sense her, so could Obi-Wan and so could Dooku.

Knowing what was in store for her with the xenophobic Count should she be recaptured, Barriss wasn't willing to risk it. Especially not if he or the shrouded figure were to guess her secret. Her life, if not already forfeit, would immediately become so and Anakin... Anakin would no doubt do as they expected and, in doing so, fall neatly into their trap.

She couldn't let that happen.

Removing maintenance hatch, Barriss moved into one of the major conduits, keeping her steps careful and silent. Thus far no sign of pursuit; but it wouldn't last long. Mentally comparing the conduit with what she knew the layout above to be, she wasn't encouraged. How was she supposed to find Anakin and Obi-Wan without knowing where she was going?

The general direction she'd pulled from Anakin's Force signature directed her onwards and, while she knew he wouldn't sit idle as she came to find him, she hoped he'd have enough sense to realize she didn't have access to ship's schematics as he undoubtedly did. Mentally bracing herself, she took a deep breath, felt her stomach heave with the combination of oils and greases and organic material that helped keep the ship running, pushed it away, and forged ahead.

* * *

><p>"Anakin, are you sure about this?"<p>

"Where else would she go, Master? Through the main corridors and hope not to be spotted?" Anakin placed he maintenance hatch to the side, stuck his head in and recoiled just as quickly. "Phew. For droids, they have some strange smelling conduits."

"No worse than we sentient beings, I suppose?"

"No, but then, the fuel lines that run through here are pretty much the same as ours. Don't ignite your lightsaber if you can help it."

"Charming. I don't suppose it occurred to you that we could blow the ship up should we do that?"

"The ship, Barriss, the Senator and the Chancellor," Anakin agreed. "There's a reason fuel lines are in he middle of the ship Master; if they weren't, taking out a ship this size would be a snap."

"In other words there's no way of blowing it up without taking ourselves along with it."

"Exactly. Wait here Arfour - and stay out of sight."

The droid toodled an affirmative as Anakin disappeared inside, not waiting to see if his mentor would follow, and focused instead on the connection between he and Barriss. He couldn't sense her, not the way his Master had tried, but he had an advantage. Even muted, she drew him. Turning confidently to the left, Anakin removed another hatch, crawled upwards and then took another service corridor.

"I'm getting too old for this."

"Crawling through conduits?"

"Crawling on my hands and knees," Obi-Wan returned. "It's undignified for a Jedi."

Anakin laughed. "It's a good look for you, Obi-Wan; you'll make some woman a fantastic slave some day."

"And who says I haven't already?" Obi-Wan straightened as they came to the next juncture as Anakin gaped at him and his response. "Do close your mouth, Anakin, you look like you're trying to catch bugs."

"Wrong planet."

"Ah; you've recovered. Which way?"

Leading the way, Anakin grasped the next set of ladder rungs and resumed climbing. "You've been a slave to a woman, Master?"

Obi-Wan chuckled. "When you're partners with one for an extended period of time, Anakin, slavery is just what it feels like."

"You've never-"

"Ah ah, never say never, Anakin," teased Obi-Wan. "There are many adventures in my youth you have no knowledge of."

"Right; Master Kenobi as a slave? You're far too fastidious."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "I was bodyguard to the Duchess of Mandalore at one point; it came close enough."

"She didn't fall for the famous Kenobi charm?" Anakin's tease was light. "I'm _shocked_."

"She's a very strong minded woman; you'd like her. Remind me to introduce you to her someday."

Anakin crawled through the next access hatch and onto another ladder, waiting for Obi-Wan to catch up. "Perhaps you shouldn't. I'm not a big fan of slavers."

"She's a pacifist, Anakin," Obi-Wan returned with good humor, crawling over the lip behind him and into the next juncture. "Besides, there were other perks to being alone with her and on the run for so long."

"Like with Master Luminara."

There was a heartbeat of silence behind him.

"Is Barriss close by?"

Anakin let the topic change without comment. Obi-Wan had never really healed from Luminara's sacrifice as he'd never been able to consciously acknowledge what the other Jedi had meant to him, and Anakin knew better than to push. "Not much further, I don't think. It's not an exact science; more like... echo location."

"Like those mammals on Kamino?"

"Exactly," Anakin flashed his old Master a grin over his shoulder. "Unlike you-"

"Unlike you, I know the value of stealth," cut in a wry, dry comment from a side conduit as he passed and Barriss stuck her head and shoulders out look at them both. "It's a good thing the droids aren't checking these lines; you'd both have been captured a long time ago."

"Barriss!"

She stayed where she was as Anakin reached for her, reaching back to grasp his hand briefly before releasing it with a nod. The pressure of her grip on his mechanical hand was hard; relieved. "Anakin; Obi-Wan."

"It is good to see you unharmed, Master Offee," Obi-Wan commented with a half smile. "I trust you're no worse for wear after experiencing the good General's company?"

"No, Master Kenobi," she returned just as formally. "However I have an idea or two as to whom they're after and why. Shall we find a place to talk?"

"Outside of the fuel line, I hope?"

"Of course, Master," Anakin assured him. "Next junction has an access way back into the maintenance corridor."

"How do you know that?"

He flashed Barriss a wink. "I took a good look at the schematic Arfour got us. Come on."

The trio of Jedi climbed, Anakin then Obi-Wan with Barriss following as they made their way upwards. They crossed into the next junction before Anakin opened a side hatch and was able to climb out. He assisted Obi-Wan and then Barriss, drawing the female Jedi into a tight hug.

"I was worried about you."

"I'm fine, Anakin," she assured him, glancing at Obi-Wan to find he'd politely turned his back to give them a moment. She wrapped her arms tightly about Anakin's shoulders and squeezed as he buried his face in the side of her neck.

"When Obi-Wan told me Grievous had taken you..."

She smiled, pulling away. "I'm sure you cracked a joke or two."

"He'd been into the base mix for the food used in the cafeteria."

"Hero with No Fear buns?" her eyes sparkled as she caught the implication. "Or perhaps a way to make yourself go further, Anakin?"

He groaned as Obi-Wan laughed, Barriss stepping out of Anakin's arms and settling her robes about her once more.

"Your sense of the ridiculousness, Master Offee, never ceases to amaze me."

She smiled the barest ghosts of a smile. "Well, Master Kenobi, it would never do for his ego to run away with him now that everyone in the Senate building's had a piece of him to taste and savor, would it?"

"Barriss!"

Obi-Wan choked, struggling not to laugh - no doubt - by the horrified expression on Anakin's face. She reached over to pat his arm. "I believe you were about to mention the best way to the spire?"

He shot her a look which promised retribution but took the hint. "If we know for sure that's where they're taking the Chancellor and the Senator, then the easiest way is back through the mess of service corridors that way," he pointed to the left even as he took out a holo display. Activating a narrow bandwidth comm., he got in touch with Arfour. "Arfour, can you pinpoint our location?"

The map shifted and changed, a flashing red dot appearing.

"Sometimes," Obi-Wan told Anakin dryly. "I think my droid likes you better than me."

"All you had to do was give him an oilbath-"

_"Boys."_

"Sorry."

"My apologies."

Barriss studied the hologram. "Can you have Arfour illuminate the brig, Ana - oh, thank you Arfour."

The comm. on Anakin's wrist chirped in acknowledgement even as she frowned.

"What is it?"

"I woke briefly aboard the shuttle to see Grievous speaking with Count Dooku and someone they each deferred to via holo comm. They said they were going to take the Chancellor here," she pointed to the spire, "and the Senator here." She pointed then to the brig - which was almost in completely the opposite direction.

By some random chance, they've moved, but were almost directly halfway between the two points but closer to the spire.

"And where were they taking you?"

"They hoped to lure Anakin to the spire with my presence and the Chancellor and then make him cooperate," her tone was grim. "I don't know what they want you to do, Anakin, but it doesn't sound like anything good."

"How so?"

"They want your cooperation for something; but I don't know what. They didn't say."

"Hmm," Obi-Wan stroked his beard as he examined the holo. "With both Grievous and Dooku in the spire, I would like to suggest that Anakin and I go-"

"Master-"

Obi-Wan held up his hand to forestall the immediate objection. "_However_ I have seen and felt the strength of the Force between you when you pull on each other for support both in and out of combat. Anakin and I may work well in tandem from practice, but there are minute pauses the Count and Grievous will be able to capitalize on. The two of you work without those; I will retrieve the Senator and meet you in this," he pointed to the map, "docking bay. We'll commandeer a shuttle and ensure we've a way off this ship."

"And our fighters?"

"I was hoping you'd have an idea."

Anakin paused and then grinned. "Sevens slaved them together. If the shuttle is big enough, we should be able to fit them both underneath with the docking clamps and when we jump to hyperspace, they'll come with us."

"Excellent. If that's settled?"

"I don't have a lightsaber," Barriss interjected before they finished. "Grievous confiscated it to add it to his collection."

"We'll get it back," Anakin assured her. "If both Grievous and Dooku are in that spire, we'll find you a blade even if I have to chop one of his metallic hands off to get it."

"Good. Be careful you two; this isn't going to be easy."

"Is anything worth doing?" Anakin flashed his old Master a grin. "Just secure that shuttle Obi-Wan; we'll find you. Give us... thirty minutes?"

Obi-Wan marked his chrono. "Don't be late Anakin."

"I'm not _always _late."

"Just most of the time," Barriss teased. "We should go."

"I've-"

"If you're going to say you've got a bad feeling about this, Master, I'm going to wallop you in practice next time we hit the mats."

Acknowledging the hit with a faint smile, Obi-Wan checked the diagram once more and then nodded, turning to go. "May the Force be with you both."

"And you Master Kenobi," Barriss replied formally as Anakin turned to leave them behind. She lowered her voice, sensing Obi-Wan's concern. "Don't worry; I'll keep an eye on him."

"See that you do."

She flashed him a smile and turned to follow, Obi-Wan turning in the opposite direction towards the brig; the operation to rescue the Chancellor and Senator had begun.


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Well, it's a lot longer than I thought it would be since this story was updated, but, as you can see by below, I _am_ still working on it. My apologies for keeping you all waiting so long; I'll try not to leave it so long between chapters next time. But, as always, it depends on the Muse**.  
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><p><strong><span>Chapter 4<span>**

Barriss wasn't surprised when, barely five minutes after leaving Obi-Wan, she and Anakin exited the conduits and service corridors where they - _he_ - could stand comfortably, and found herself pulled into his arms again. His lips touched hers in a kiss that was both welcome and reunion and for a brief, ever so brief moment, she forgot why it was a bad idea to be kissing Anakin Skywalker on the decks of the _Malevolence_.

She forgot that there were decks and decks of battle droids who would want nothing more than to see her dead. She forgot that the Chancellor was in trouble; that Dooku and Grievous wanted her as leverage and Anakin's cooperation for something sinister.

She forgot the secret she carried so close to her heart.

Anakin's Force essence mingled with hers, touching, embracing, _merging_ for a brief moment before sanity reasserted itself and reality came crashing back.

Pulling away from him, her breathing ragged, Barriss stared up into his face and watched as a soft smile crossed his lips.

"I've been wanting to do that since I saw your holo in the speeder while we were approaching the Senate Building."

"I know," her lips twisted into an echoing smile. "I felt the suggestion and more."

"Oh good," his grin turned roguish. "For a moment there I thought I was losing my touch."

"Ani..."

He sighed. "I know that tone." Taking a step back he released her, his fingers lifting to trail along the line of her jaw. "I've missed you Barriss."

"You can show me how much when we get back to Coruscant after we've had a chance to catch up," she promised. "Focus. Obi-Wan was right; this isn't going to be easy."

An almost comical grimace crossed his face. "Well if we hadn't killed the mood before, the mention of my old Master sure did."

"Anakin."

"I know, I know." He sighed, refocused and got back on the mission. "How do you want to do this?"

"It's a trap; how else would we handle it?"

"Master Obi-Wan would say spring the trap; are you up for it?"

"Is that wise?"

"Perhaps not," Anakin agreed, "but by knowing in advance it's a trap, there are ways to prepare for the unexpected. And we'll be a trap of our own; they'd hardly expect you to come with me knowing what you know, right?"

"I feigned being out pretty good," Barriss admitted. "I don't think they know how much I heard."

"All the more reason to be sure," he was determined, serious. "We catch them by surprise."

"How so? The Count will sense our presence long before we arrive."

"Not unless we time it to Grievous' arrival," Anakin's eyes sparkled. "He shouldn't have reached the spire yet, unless they're aware of your escape?"

"The droids may have radioed it in," she conceded. "I did, however, eliminate several of them before joining you and Obi-Wan."

"Hmm," Anakin considered the implication for a moment and then shrugged. "Either way, we have to hit that spire. Grievous would have given _us_ an element of surprise that is otherwise lacking, but I think we can use that anyway. Do you remember that shielding technique we were discussing last time we saw each other?"

Her lips curved. "The one where one of us is felt in the Force and not the other? How could I forget when you made your point so... deliberately?"

He chuckled, bending in to kiss her briefly before straightening. Now that she was within arm's reach, she could tell he was finding it difficult to keep his hands to himself even as he appeared more focused. "If we employ it now, we _might_ be able to surprise them. They _could_ be fooled into thinking that only you were approaching if we start now."

"Phase you out?"

Anakin nodded.

Barriss offered her hand, knowing it would be easier with touch. "Think you can stand holding my hand for the next thirty minutes?"

"Think you can stand being a conduit for me to act through to get us there in half that?"

"Are you challenging me, Anakin?"

"Is there a time I don't?" he sounded shocked as he pulled off his glove and took her hand, skin to skin, in his, visibly bracing himself for the impact touching her always had on his system. True to type, this time was no different and the nearly physical electric shock he felt made his hand clench around hers. "Sorry," he murmured, drawing her close with a tightening of his arm muscles. "I can't help myself."

Barriss closed her eyes and felt Anakin take the impact of her Force presence as it resonated through him like a lightning bolt. She drew on his essence, using his pure conduit-like ability to connect to the Force to access it herself, her hand clenching as her fingers threaded through his. Concentrating on shielding his presence, she could feel Anakin diminished his own, burying it within hers until they were both intermeshed so tightly together no one, not even Obi-Wan, would ever be able to tell there were two of them.

The connection was visceral, intimate, almost as close as a physical joining but in some ways oh so much more.

Barriss, however, for all she was intertwining Anakin's Force signature into her own, held something back. There were things about her that he didn't yet need to know; things that had no place in the _now_ before Grievous was apprehended; things that could shift the tide of the coming battle against them if he were to discover her secrets now.

"You're hiding something from me, Barriss."

"I am," she agreed. "We'll talk about it later. I can't keep this up forever, Ani."

He grimaced.

"I know," she teased. "Don't call you that."

"Then let's do this and go home," he told her with a strained smile. "You and I need to have a proper reunion."

She laughed huskily. "That and more," she agreed. "Which way?"

Anakin motioned ad they were off, making their way through crew corridors and into the bowels of the ship's service area; areas that battle droids would have little use for. Areas most droids would have little use for. They moved swiftly, always in contact, mostly palm to palm, Barriss feeling Anakin's anxiety all the while attempting to mitigate it with a sense of peace.

It worked to a degree and they both tried to focus on the here and now; on the task at hand and channeled their energy into the projection of a Force signature that was individual but muted, attempting to make to feel as if they were both trying to hide. But also making it feel like they were a single being; just Barriss.

Taking the service lift to the spire, they arrived to find no welcoming committee, simply the Chancellor tied to a chair on a dais near the viewports at the back of the room and neither Dooku nor Grievous in evidence.

Motioning the Chancellor to silence with a finger to his lips, Anakin carefully released his grip on Barriss before stepping back around the door. Barriss could feel him concentrating to maintain his Force blindness; the _empty_ feeling of not being there masked by her own signature as she took the steps into the room and headed for the Chancellor.

Dual, separated stair cases led down from the main doorway by where Anakin was standing and she carefully but swiftly, navigated them to reach the man in the back of the room. Masking Anakin presence as she was, she couldn't stretch her senses out to search for threats and relied on sight and sound to gain her cues. Looking left and right, she spotted no guards, no security, no nothing of any kind other than the Chancellor - the _bait_ - and the feel of the trap increased.

Anakin had been right.

Stepping close to the dais, she stopped on the bottom step. "Chancellor," she bowed gracefully. "Are you in need of rescue again?"

"So it would seem, Master Offee," he agreed, playing along. "Our- _my_ - captors however appear to be..." pausing, his gaze went beyond her, "Count Dooku."

Barriss turned.

Dooku emerged from a second door she hadn't seen almost directly below Anakin with two magna guards, one on either side.

"Master Offee," Dooku's lips curled. "How good of you to join us."

"Count," she inclined her head, her lips tightening.

She hadn't forgotten that this was the man who'd killed her master; would _never_ forget - but neither would she seek revenge. Much as it hurt, it had been Luminara's choice to sacrifice herself to this traitor to ensure so many others had lived. Barriss refused, no matter how much she wished things could be otherwise, to dishonor her Master's memory by seeking something as petty as revenge.

"I had thought the good General would shackle you," Dooku frowned. "Or perhaps he has deemed you not to be that great of a threat."

"Perhaps," Barriss agreed, "I would have you ask him yourself, but I'm afraid I appear to have lost him as my escort."

The Count pulled his lightsaber from his belt as the guards activated their staves, twirling them menacingly. "Well, perhaps we should ensure you are dealt with appropriately then. One would hate to think our hospitality was wanting. Even for one such as you."

"Careful, count," she came back blithely, with more bravado than she knew she possessed, "your prejudices are showing."

"Come now, my dear, they're hardly on display," he lunged with the last word, his lightsabre igniting with a snap-hiss, the blade intent on a killing blow.

Barriss held her ground, trusting Anakin to protect her.

A trust that was well founded.

On the heels of Dooku's snap-hiss came a second blade, igniting so quickly it sounded like an echo of the red saber. As that blood red blade arced towards her, a blur flashed between them, green meeting red as Anakin's blade clashed to intercept the strike and threw the older man off balance. Barriss backed away, having no weapon with which to aid Anakin, and took up a defensive stance beside the Chancellor's chair. With little more to do but watch, she set about deactivating the binders.

While Barriss worked to free the Chancellor, Anakin fought the Count.

Crimson and emerald crossed, clashing time and time again as Anakin held his ground in the initial assault before pushing Dooku away from the dais. Following with a series of lightning fast attacks that forced Dooku to retreat as he was unable to counterattack, Anakin drove the Sith up the nearby staircase.

Utterly focused and centered, Anakin paid little heed to the Count's bodyguards as he pushed the man away from Barriss. Her presence, still enmeshed with his, bolstered his abilities and focused him in ways nothing else ever had. For all she was still holding a part of herself back, it was such a small part that he didn't notice it as he concentrated on driving Dooku away from her.

The Count's hatred for non-humans was something of a wild card, one Anakin couldn't afford to have in play as he pressed his attack. He had to keep the Count focused on the fight and not on the young woman without a weapon behind him. Immersed as he was, with Barriss' Force essence feeding him information and focus, he pushed the older man over the last of the stairs and onto the top level of the catwalk. Back they moved, sabres flying left and right, sparking and sizzling as both sought to gain the upper hand.

Until the Count found it.

_"Anakin!"_

He felt her sharp call the same moment he heard it, his lightsaber sliding upwards to block, striking and turning it aside as he spun, stepping to the Count's body. His free hand snapped forward with a blinding move to catch the Count's wrist even as his hand shot out to the side, the lightsaber locked on, the blade whirring through the air with speed and precision to cleave through three of four Super Battle Droids that had advanced on Barriss.

Stepping a half step closer, Anakin dug his fingers into the flesh of the other man's wrist, turning his momentum into power as he bent and lifted, taking Dooku off his feet and driving him forcefully up and over the catwalk rail. Even as he was letting go of the Count's wrist, Anakin was following, his hand outstretched towards where his lightsaber had flown, calling it to him even as he somersaulted and spun, landing in a crouch on the lower level.

The Force gathered about him like a storm as his lightsaber slid back into his outstretched fingers, his whole body bending with an almost unnatural grace to brush his chest against the deck as the Count's strike failed to decapitate him. He was up as fast as he'd fallen, his emerald blade whipping in to catch the counter attack as he found his footing.

They traded blows, Anakin daring to flip over the Count's head as they moved out from under the stairs back towards the dais and Barriss, blocking a quick dual upward stroke before landing to lock blades with the man once again. Except this time, it was the base of the blades; as much raw power as it was Force ability, and Anakin leaned into the challenge almost eagerly.

A little _too_ eagerly, for the Count caught on to it. "You've grown, boy."

"My powers have doubled since we last met, Count," Anakin told him with a feral smile, pushing back on the blade and forcing the Count to give a half step. "You'll not walk away this time."

"Such arrogance; such anger! How powerful would you be if you but used them?"

"Let's say," Anakin broke the sabre lock, flinging the red blade out wide as he came in from the other side, "we don't find out!"

Impossibly, the Count ducked away, spinning, the crimson arc of death countering the attack with one of its own. A flurry of blows was traded as the Count ducked and weaved, showcasing just why he'd lasted as long as he had through various wars.

For all the Count's experience, for all his power within the Force and through it, Anakin could _feel _him weakening. Power sang through his own veins as he kicked out, knocking Dooku to the side and away from Barriss. Gripping the hilt in both hands, Anakin pressed his advantage, seeing the other man's movements as if in slow motion.

Dooku blocked Anakin's next swing, spinning in what should have been a dizzying move, trying to get room. Anakin countered the attack, staying with the Count until the older man was incapable of escape. Then, and only then, did Anakin step in as the Count was parrying his blade, one hand leaving the hilt of the emerald shaft to close about the Count's hands around his own hilt.

A quick dip of his lightsaber and time resumed, the Count letting out a cry as both hands were severed from the wrist, the limbs bouncing along the floor as the Count fell to his knees. Anakin reached out to the left, pulling the red bladed weapon into his hands and placing them, crossed at the Count's neck.

"Good, Anakin, good!" the Chancellor's encouragement was delighted, his laughter completely at odds with his next words. "Kill him."

"What?"

_"What?!"_

"Kill him _now_."

"Chancellor - don't do it, Anakin!" Barriss looked straight at him; he knew because his head had snapped around to look at them both incredulously, Barris' admonition to the politician, and to him, sharp and snapping with authority. "Don't even _think_ about doing it."

"And why not?" The Chancellor's response was nonplussed. "I'm the Chancellor; I say he's too dangerous to be taken alive."

"Jedi do not kill unarmed prisoners." there was no room for argument in Barriss' tone. "Anakin, arrest him."

"Kill him!" snapped the Chancellor, "before he can work that Sith magic on us again!"

"Respectfully, Chancellor, we're Jedi; we can handle this Sith."

Barriss stepped in, putting one hand on Anakin's and meeting his gaze; a relief if he'd ever known one. Her touch brought about a calm he'd been struggling to maintain in the aftermath of the battle. Part of him had almost followed the Chancellor's order without thought, agreeing that Dooku was too dangerous to take alive. Except for the fact that he was a Jedi, like Barriss, and he'd hesitated. She was right; it wasn't the Jedi way.

Deactivating the lightsabers, Anakin handed one to Barriss and she took control of the Count.

Going back to the irritated looking Chancellor, Anakin deactivated the restraints holding him in place as the older man huffed and voiced his displeasure. "I said I wanted him dead, not taken alive, Anakin."

"My apologies, Chancellor, but Knight Offee is correct. It would not be the Jedi way to kill an unarmed prisoner."

"The Council will hear of this, Anakin. I gave you an order; I'm very disappointed in you."

That stung.

Barriss must have felt it through the link they shared for she broke in as she was securing the Count's arms behind him. "If Anakin or I had killed the Count, Chancellor, it would only have made him a martyr and added fuel to the Separatist's grievances. He must be made to stand trial, to answer publicly for his crimes and be discredited before his execution. With their leader in our custody, they will have to come to the bargaining table and bring the war to a swifter end."

"You'll forgive me, Knight Offee, if I don't believe that the Jedi Council will offer transparency in a trial that they will undoubtedly dub an internal affair. Count Dooku, as I am led to understand, is a rogue member of your order."

"He is also a political prisoner, Chancellor; the Jedi will guard him, but as the leader of the Separatist government, the Jedi could not hope to hold him without displeasing the Senate."

"I certainly hope you are right, Knight Offee, for all our sakes, or all of this will have been for naught."

"Never for-"

The chirping of Anakin's comlink cut Barriss off and he lifted it to his lips. "Skywalker."

_"Anakin, I have Senator Naberrie, but I am afraid that the good General appears to have given us the slip."_

"What? How?"

_"It would appear that he was one step ahead of us. The Chancellor and the Senator were simply bait to lure us in so he could get away."_

"And sacrifice his leader, Count Dooku, in the process?" Anakin frowned, glancing at the Chancellor and Barriss as he spoke, ignoring the sharply inhaled breath of the Count. "That doesn't make sense, Obi-Wan."

_"Does it not? General Grievous stands to gain control of the Separatist army if Dooku should fall. By abandoning him here, I suspect the good General expects us to do his dirty work for him."_

"Then it's a good thing the Count is in our custody," Anakin came back, immeasurably relieved he'd not followed the Chancellor's orders. "We'll meet you in the hangar bay with the Chancellor and Dooku."

_"Be careful, Anakin; it may very well still be a trap."_

"Heed your own words, Gramps," Anakin shot back with a grin. "I'm the one with Barriss remember? Watch your back."


End file.
